


Alphys, Alphys, Blurry Glasses

by Blu-Spade-Studios (FMAYasha12)



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Backstory, Canon Queer Character, Comfort/Angst, Currently young Alphys just being cute and happy but eventual we'll get there..., Depression, Dubious Science, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Queer Gen, Science Experiments, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, lots of it omg, this is Alphys we're talking about here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-08-18 19:15:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8172835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FMAYasha12/pseuds/Blu-Spade-Studios
Summary: (ON INDEFINITE HIATUS)Alphys is the Royal Scientist of the Underground and loved and respected by the many people who know her, but there's a lot more behind her then many would think. And a lot that she herself doesn't even want to think about. A large scale story that explores Alphys' past and how her life lead up the final events of Undertale.Mostly based off of canon, but some headcanons and original content will be added in order to make a coherent storyline.Starts off with Alphys as a young child and goes through some general time skips until the canon story of Alphys. The first part of the story is going to be very much based off of theories and original ideas, but will ultimately fit in with the current canon.Lastly, yay! An Alphys centric fic! ^_^





	1. Alphys and Humans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! It's my first fanfiction since I was 12! I'm excited for this one and I really hope you guys end up enjoying what this becomes. =)

“Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: Humans and Monsters…”

 

 Along the crowded streets of the capital of Monsters, a tall, thin tree-like creature whose leaves where dark and wide, sat in the front of a room full of whispering children. As the teacher of their class, she read aloud the story of the Great War and the banishment of their race.

     “One day, war broke out between the two races…”

The children had heard the story many times before, but history is history, and as such, it must be spoken of and taught.

     “After a long battle, the humans were victorious.”

The whispers continued as the children spoke amongst themselves. They all knew where this was going anyways, but it was fun to imagine the battles of the war.

     “They sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell, creating a barrier that could only be broken with the power of seven human SOULs.”

The teacher read on, but paused when she saw a tiny hand rise up from the crowd. She sighed softly and smiled as she called on the child who got her attention.

     “Yes, Alphys, what would like to know?”

Excitedly, a small, chubby reptilian monster child rose to her feet. The scales on her skin were yellow with darker colored patches spread out over the surface. Her mouth was pointed out like that of some dinosaur’s beak and her head was splayed out in a frill across the back of her head. She wore a loose pink dress with a floral pattern and thick, black round glasses.  
She spoke up with a stutter.

     “Y-yes, m-ma’am. I w-was wondering why we c-can’t j-just-“

     “Alphys, dear, you need to speak a little louder, I can't quite hear you.”

Alphys looked down shyly and held her hands together.

     “Y-yes, ma’am. Um… So, w-why do we need s-seven SOULs? Can’t we just… I-I don’t know, um… use seven monster SOULs?”

The teacher’s face lifted at the question, finding it a perfect opportunity to teach a new lesson.

     “Oh, well, you see Alphys, human SOULs are stronger than that of a monster. When a monster dies, their body turns to dust and their SOUL shatters almost instantaneously. Our SOULs don’t last long after death, so it would difficult to gather seven monster SOULs. And even if we managed to collect seven monster SOULs, they still aren’t equal to a human’s in power.”

The teacher gently shut the book and placed it down on her lap.

     “Why, it would take hundreds of monster SOULs to equal the power of just one human SOUL!”

The children gasped in awe at the new knowledge. Now that was cool! Humans must be so powerful! They all held their breath in anticipation as the teacher continued.

     “Now, the barrier can be crossed using just one monster soul so long as it merged with a human soul. However, the barrier will not break with this power. It will only allow the merged SOULs to cross freely back and forth.”

Soaking up the information, the children barely noticed the bell ring as the school day came to end. The teacher looked up at the clock in surprise and dismissed the students.

     “Oh, well, class is over!”

She rose to her feet and clapped her hands together to get the children’s attention.

     “Everyone! Gather up your supplies and get ready to head home! Don't forget your assignment!”

 Not a second after the teacher started speaking did the children disperse from their group and run across the room to grab their backpacks. They sloppily piled their papers and pencils into their bags and rushed to the door to exit the class.  
Alphys walked a little slower to prevent herself from getting trampled by the other children. She grabbed her green rolling bag from the rack at the back of the class and attached her matching lunchbox to the side. She carefully organized her classwork into the left side of her folders and her graded tests into the right. Picking up her pencils and pens, she slipped them into a black tube and put a cap on the top to prevent them from falling out.  
     By the time Alphys made it to the classroom exit, all the children had already made their way to their parents, patiently waiting in the street, or had begun their journey to their home.  
As she took her first step out the door, the teacher stopped Alphys by placing a hand on her shoulder. Alphys turned and looked up at the monster looming over her. Her teacher was very tall compared to her and had to bend down to even touch Alphys’ head. Alphys only just reached her knees and in order to see her, Alphys had to crane her neck as far back as it would go.

     “I know we got cut off at the end there dear, but, were there any more questions you wanted to ask?”

Alphys shook her head in reply.

     “No, ma’am. W-well, yes, b-but… I’m n-not to sure how t-to ask them.”

The teacher gave Alphys a confused look.

     “What do you mean dear?”

Alphys put her behind her back and rolled slightly on the balls of her feet.

     “Well, it’s like, um… w-why are the human’s SOULs s-so s-strong?”

The teacher put her finger to her chin in thought.

     “Hmm… well, I’m not all to certain, but I believe it has something to do with the fact that they are more… persistent than monsters. They keep on going, no matter what. Unfortunately…”

The teacher closed her eyes in sad thought.

     “Continuing something isn’t always the best choice…”

     “L-like how they c-continued the war and sealed us u-underground?”

     “Yes, like that.”

Despite feeling a little confused by the answer, Alphys understood the basics of it.

     “Okay, t-then.”

She hopped away from her teacher to the side of the road.

     “Thank you, m-ma’am!”

The teacher waved Alphys goodbye as she prepared to lock-up her classroom.

     “No problem sweetie, anytime!”

     “Okay!”

Alphys turned her back to the school and made her way down the sidewalk. She passed by building upon building, towering housing complexes where families of monsters lived out their day-to-day lives.

     She skipped up the stairs to a bridge that would take her over a river that ran through the capitol. The bridge was long and on the edge of one section of the capitol that was raised higher than most. The city was built on many raised areas of land, as it was hard to build such a grand, underground city in any sort of manner even resembling a planar landscape. Caves aren’t exactly known for being perfectly flat after all.  
Alphys would often take a break at this bridge to look out at the cityscape and take in its brilliance. She always found it’s structure to be rather pretty and it’s colors cool and relaxing. Of course, some people said the colors felt dead and lifeless, so maybe that was true too. But it was kind of hard for the older folks to appreciate anything in the Underground when they had seen the “true beauty” of the surface.

     Alphys had never seen the surface, never seen the “sun” or “moon” or “stars” that they talked about, but she still thought the city was pretty. She thought about the story of the capitol and how it came to be. She always enjoyed the history that people and places held.

     As for it's history, the capital city was most populated section of the entire Underground. When monsters were first buried beneath the earth and sealed in with the barrier that the humans erected, the monsters had all ran to the furthest depths of the caverns they found themselves in. They fled to the very end of the Underground in hopes to separate themselves as far away from the humans as possible, for while no monster could leave, any human could enter. The entire race of monsters found themselves scared and in chaos for the months following their imprisonment. Would the humans enter to eradicate the remaining monsters they had sealed? Did they place them here so they would be helpless as their demise snuck forth? No one was certain, but everyone was afraid.

     However, the monsters eventually spread out to other regions of the Underground and started up small towns and settlements where each felt fit to live. Their original refuge, aptly named Home, was promptly emptied out, leaving only a few residents who choose to stay. When monsters had settled in every corner of the caverns, they had finally discovered the full limits of the place they’d been trapped in. The main entrance to the Underground, the place they’d all but abandoned at the start of their incarceration, was the very edge of all they now had.

     They built their capital there and filled the surrounding area with grand buildings that took many years to complete. Each building was filled to the brim with monsters of all types and the capitol was soon the home of nearly every being in the Underground.

So, of course, the King of Monsters named the capital, “New Home”

     The adults would always giggle at the name, claiming to be uncreative and lousy naming on the King’s part, but Alphys never understood why. It was their new home after all, since they had left their old one to fall to ruins. It only made sense to call it New Home.

     Ending her inner monologue, Alphys gripped the handle on her bag and skipped across the remainder of the bridge. The wheels on her bag rolled and bounced along the bumps and cracks in the pavement as she made her way to her house. Passing by streets full of monsters leaving their day shifts, coming to night shifts, Alphys carefully avoided bumping into anyone with ease.

     She always wondered how bad her claustrophobia would be if she hadn’t been born and raised in an already crowded environment. If she felt uneasy in this kind of crowd, she only imagined she’d have a panic attack if she had lived in the “wide, open fields” on the surface.

     As she came to the stairway of a smaller apartment building, Alphys lifted her bag up the steps and set it on the porch area. She reached up and opened the door and wheeled her bag inside. The entrance lobby was small, plain, and not very formal. To the immediate right of the door was a list of the apartment numbers with a button to the side of each one that would activate a doorbell to tell the inhabitants they would be receiving a visitor.  
Alphys never bothered with it because she always got home before her dad got out of work, so it’d be completely pointless to ring a doorbell.  
Her clawed feet clicked against the wooden of the stairs as she made her way to the third story. The building was one the less impressive complexes. It only had 5 floors and each floor held 10 apartments of a humble size. She reached into her bag for a key ring that only had one key and had cartoon keychain she and her friends found in the dump one day.

     Inserting the key and twisting it to the left, Alphys unlocked her apartment door and entered her home. Upon entering she placed the key ring into a small glass dish that lay atop a small entry table. She rolled her backpack down a small hallway to the left of the entrance and opened up the second door on the right of the hall.

     Her bedroom was small and basic, but it had everything she needed. It’s walls were a calming tan color, but you could hardly tell from the innumerable amount of posters she had put up on the walls. In the center of the room was a pink flower rug that was soft and fluffy. A metal-framed bed with a ton of boxes, filled to the brim with science projects and elementary school experiments, shoved underneath sat in the left corner of the room. A tall bookshelf to the bed’s right side was filled with lengthy novels, engineering books for beginners, books on chemical composition, monster history books, and a collection of beat up comics she found in a cardboard box while searching through the dump. Her keychain was also in the box. She was impressed they survived so well, as the dump in Waterfall is made up of garbage that flows down from the surface via a river that flows into the Underground. Most everything that ends up there was thrown out by humans, so what can be found there is usually either thrown out for a reason or is now so completely ruined by the water of the river that it’s useless junk. Finding something functional that can be fixed up and used is pretty rare.

     Alphys turned to a pink plastic table to the right of the door that she used as her desk and placed her backpack next to it. The desk had a fat blue lamp with a mismatched lampshade that was white with pale green stars. Next to the lamp was a series of boxes and cups that held various desk supplies. In the opposite corner, across from her bed, Alphys had a tape deck that her father gave her for her birthday one year. She contemplated putting in a tape, but ultimately decided against it.

     Finally, Alphys exited her room and headed to the living room. She sat on the patched up couch and fiddled with the remote a little. The Underground’s television system was always a little spotty and it could only receive broadcasts from within the caverns themselves. Alphys had found a way to make their television connection a little better, but unfortunately, the Underground didn’t have any good programs either. At least, nothing that interested a young monster in elementary school.

     Without even bothering to flip through the doubtlessly boring channels, Alphys walked over to a shelf against the wall and pulled out a select VHS labeled Mew Mew Kissy Cutie. After inserting the videotape into the player, Alphys cuddled up on the couch and watched as the advertisements played through.

     Among many other things, the VHSs they owned were also found in the dump. They had many of them, but Alphys’ favorites were the ones that were cartoony and had magical warriors who would fight in the love of love and justice. They were bright and colorful and had every episode was brimming with all sorts of things Alphys had never seen before!

     Alphys’ face scrunched up in excitement as the gibberish opening theme played through the television speakers while elaborately dressed animated characters danced to the music. Her clawed hands pat against the cushions of the couch and she happily hummed the opening theme to the show. She never understood the words the characters spoke, but each VHS had subtitles that would translate what each character was saying. She had wondered if all humans spoke the same language as the ones in her shows, but some of the older monsters told her that humans spoke many different languages just as monsters do.

     Alphys watched as the episode itself started up and wondered if there were humans who talked in the same manner as the moldsmal, making weird sounds their mouths full of goop. She supposed not. Judging from what they looked like in her shows, humans didn’t appear to have mouths full of any sort of slime. Maybe some spoke like the Temmies? Alphys shivered at that thought.  
_That’d be kind of creepy…_ She thought to herself.

Suddenly, the turn of a doorknob caught her attention. She sat up and twisted herself around to look over the couch.

     “Ah! Hi dad!”

Alphys bounced off the couch and bounded over to her father. She jumped up to grab him by the waist and he caught her in his arms. Alphys was about half the height of her father, which still made him a short monster to most others.

     “Haha, heya Alphys! How was your day at school?”

Alphys' father was very similar to her in body shape, except the frill on his head was a little rounder and didn’t stick up out quite as much as it did downwards and in. His scales were a more yellowish green tone and he had lighter spots scattered across them compared to Alphys’ darker ones.

     “It was good, we finally started our history quarter today. But, I already knew all of what the teacher said.”

Her father laughed as he placed her down on the floor.

     “Ha! I’ll bet you did! With all of those books you read, you probably know more than even me! I wouldn’t be surprised if you knew human history as well!””

Alphys giggled. She had never studied human history as no monsters knew anything of it past the Great War. Alphys’ father was a history teacher for a small school in Hotland. A lot of Alphys’ initial interest in monster history came from spending time with him while he taught his students when she was younger, but her interests in human history came from the many books and videos that fell from the surface. Surely, they couldn’t all be true, especially the videos, but they had to be based on some extent of fact.

     “W-well, I certainly _wish_ I knew more about h-humans.”

Alphys really found humans interesting. She had never seen one, only the the oldest monsters in the Underground had, but she was engaged in their culture and wanted to learn more about them. About their culture, about their different languages, about what they looked like, and maybe even about what makes them so strong.  
Suddenly, Alphys remembered something from earlier in the day.

     “Oh! Dad, speaking of h-humans, I want to base my p-project on them!”

     “Oh, is that so? What’s this project about?”

     “Well, we’re supposed t-to create a presentation about the war a-and what factors went into its c-cause and r-results. A-and um..”

She hesitantly wiggled in place as though she was unsure what she was trying to say.

     “I w-want to go to the library t-to find some books on human SOULs, if I c-can… I want my presentation to go in depth a-about why the humans w-were so strong, even t-though they lack the magic a m-monster has.”

Alphys’ father’s eyes wandered and he thought on the request.

     “Well, there’s not enough time today for any in-depth research, but we’re all set for tomorrow if you want.”

Alphys threw her hands into the air and smiled wide.

     “Oh, that’s _perfect_!”

She rushed down the hall and threw open her bedroom door. She peeped her head around the corner of the door to look back at her father.

     “I’m gonna make a draft of what I want to include!”

Her father laughed at his daughter’s enthusiasm and began to make his way to the living room as he talked.

     “That sounds smart, Alphys. Get a plan together! Meanwhile, I’ll start dinner.”

He walked past the living room to make his way to the kitchen, but noticed that Alphys had left her show running.

     “Hey, Alphys! Do you want me to pause your show?”

From down the hall, Alphys' cheery voice could be heard shouting back.

     “Yes please!”

     In her bedroom, Alphys had taken everything from her bag and laid it out neatly across her desk to prepare for her draft. She stood at the base of her bookshelf and grabbed every piece of human literature she had. Unable to reach the higher shelves at her height, Alphys dragged over her desk chair to pull down the rest of the books.  
Placing them in a stack next to her desk, Alphys began sorting through what she had and collecting her main points into what she wanted to present.

Tomorrow morning, her and her father would head to the library to see what they could find.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't clarify how old Alphys is or about what grade she is in because I'm not certain of how monsters age. I characterized her as being around the equivalent of a child in elementary school. She's probably in 4th or 5th grade by human standards.  
> This vagueness will be prevalent for most of the fic so that others can give characters whatever age they feel fits. Also!  
> I will try to update at least every other Sunday! You guys got lucky today because I time to have this ready for today, but for the other chapters, I will probably need a Saturday to type. Thank you for reading! Please leave your comments below! I love input, even if it's just "I like this, good job." Anything will do.


	2. A Day At the Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little Alphys and her dad head to the library to research human SOULs for Alphys' project!  
> Hope you find what you need lil' Alphy!

    The next morning, Alphys’ alarm clock chirped on her nightstand. The little reptile wearily reached for her glasses and adjusted them on her face. Pushing back the bedsheets, she jumped onto the floor and turned off her alarm.

    As her head woke up, Alphys made her way to the kitchen to make breakfast for her and her father. She searched through the cupboards and refrigerator for the proper ingredients to make the meal. Blueberry waffles with syrup and sliced fruit. There was more time in the morning on weekends to make breakfast, so Alphys could have a real breakfast, not just cereal and thrown together egg sandwiches. The waffle maker was on the counter and she blended together the waffle mix while it heated up. The waffle maker was one of the more luxorious tools in her home that had fallen from surface. Her dad brought it home, beat up and broken, and he and her figured out how to make to work.

   The light on the waffle maker turned on to signal it was ready and Alphys poured the finished mix into mold. Closing the top and flipping the handle, Alphys prepared the waffles. While they cooked, she sliced strawberries and grabbed a cupful of blueberries for toppings. As she worked, her father walked into the living room, yawning loudly.

    “Ah... good morning, Alphys. Making some breakfast?”

    “Yes, making b-blueberry waffles.”

She paused to look up at her father.

    “W-would you like s-some coffee, D-dad?”

    “Yes, Alphys, that sounds wonderful. You’re such a good girl, you always manage to beat me to the kitchen. Maybe you’re the parent in this house.”

Her father chuckled at his joke. Alphys rolled her eyes at him.

    “Oh, Dad, it’s just breakfast.”

When waffles were cooked, Alphys made her Dad coffee and herself hot cocoa. They ate on the couch in peaceful silence, cuddled next to each other with a blanket spread across their laps. Gulping down the last of her cocoa, Alphys placed the mug down on the TV tray next to messy plate. She turned to her father.

     “So, when are we leaving for the l-library.”

Her father finished a forkful of waffle and swallowed quickly.

    “Right after breakfast if you want. It opens at around 10:00 today.”

Alphys rose to her feet and picked up her dishes as she walked to the kitchen. She placed the dishes to the side of the sink and returned to the living room.

    “Well, I’m g-going to g-go get ready then I’ll b-be out when I’m dressed!”

Alphys headed down the hall and entered her room. She pulled out a green and white striped sundress with a matching white cardigan from her dresser drawers and dressed herself in them. From a box on her dresser, she grabbed a necklace with a pink, plastic star charm and placed it around her neck. After she was certain of her ensemble, she headed for the bathroom at the end of the hall.

     Once she had brushed her teeth and smoothed out her scales, she prepped her schoolbag and went into the living room. Her dad, who had also gotten ready, was waiting on the couch watching the news channel.

She caught his attention and he clicked the TV off and stood up.

    “So, are you ready to go?”

    “Yup.” Alphys responded, “I’ve got what I need.” She rolled her bag back and forth to make her point.

Chuckling, her father headed to the door and grabbed the keys from the entry table.

    “Well, guess we’d better head out then.”

He unlocked the door and let Alphys pass him before he exited. With a click, the door was locked and the pair headed down the stairs and out of the apartment complex.The two strolled down the streets of New Home, making their way to the public library. It was a little ways away, but nothing they couldn’t handle on foot.

    At this time of day, the luminous crystals junting out from the roof of the caverns were newly at full brightness. Since there was sun or moon underground, there was no way to tell the difference between day and night or calculate the passage of time. However, when they were first imprisioned, the monsters discovered that the crystals in the roof also worked on a cycle, dimming and brightening over time, and began to use that as their clock. Who knew if the crystals ran on the same cycle as the sun and moon. It could be nighttime on the surface but the entire Underground would think it daytime because the crystals were in full glow. But it was a way to count the passing minutes and hours.The years and decades. The centuries.

    “Hmm…” Alphys thought about that alot.

Before she knew it, Alphys and her father had reached the library. It was just 5 minutes past 10:00 am and the library was practically empty with only the librarian and assistants present.

    Alphys and her father waved at the employees as they walked to the back of the main study area. The capital city library, with it’s two floors stuffed with books, was the biggest library in all of the Underground. Which, unfortunately, was still not very big. Not many belongings made it with the monsters when they fled from the humans that sealed them in the mountain. There were barely enough books to fill an average library shelf in the beginning. Even after all this time, the Underground hadn’t produced many authors. There wasn’t much to read. One monster could read the whole collection of the Underground in their lifetime if they wanted.

    Alphys looked around around the huge room and she set her bag next to a round table. The first floor held mostly fiction and was split down the middle by the study area. On the left half were the works written by monsters over their years both trapped and free. On the right were the works written by humans. The condition of these books were dubious as they were either refurbished from the dump or over a 1,000 years old, give or take, and falling apart.

    But Alphys wasn’t interested in fiction, not now at least. She needed research and reports. She cocked her head back and took in the view of the second floor. The non-fiction floor. It aligned the sides of the whole library with a round balconey in the center that allowed her to see it from the ground floor. From what she could see, it was full of shelves, each one crammed with books and journals and precious documents. It was brimming, bursting with knowledge and Alphys could only see a small portion of it.

    Her little body bounced up and down in excitement.

She couldn’t wait.

    “Ready, dear?”

Her father’s voice knocked her out of her thoughts. She quickly replied.

    “Yes! I’m gonna head up right now!”

She rushed past her father, she stepped back in surprise, and hurried up the stairs. He laughed softly as he watched his daughter race towards the stairs.

    “There she goes.”

Her little claws clicked against the tile of the floor as she ran. A feathery assistant pushing a cart of books stopped and watched Alphys run up the stairs. Alphys claws scracthed into the wood. The assistant sighed.

    “I’ll have to polish those again…” He thought to himself.

When Alphys reached the top, she skimmed over the plaques of each section to find what she needed.

    Sections on the geography of the Underground, sections on the nature of the Underground?

No.

    Sections on monster history? The section of human history was by far the smallest.

No, she didn’t need those.

She walked along the balcony as she read each plaque.

More rows went by, more information she didn’t need.

Then, she found it.

    “Oh!”

She rushed into an aisle with a plaque reading, “Human Biology”. Next to it was a row on monster biology. She figured she would also check out some of those later for comparision.

Reading over individual tags on the shelf, Alphys found the main topic she wanted.

“Studies on Composition of Human SOULs”

Alphys made a small noise of joy when she read the label. Being too short to reach the shelf, Alphys looked around for a stool or ladder. A little way away was a rolling ladder attached to the shelf. She pulled it over to the shelf and got it settled into pace.

    Carefully scaling the ladder, Alphys scanned through the titles of the books. Holding tightly on the ladder’s rail, she reached for the works that caught her attention and placed them on a ladder rung just above the one her feet rested on. Once she had built up a decent pile, she would carry it down and begin all over again. She continued this cycle as she went along every shelf and section.

    On the bottom floor, her father waited patiently for her. He looked up from the novel he had picked out to she his daughter carrying a rather admirable stack of books down the stairs. Placing his book down, he rushed over to lessen her load and helped her organize them on the table. There were a little over twenty books total.

    “Will this be enough?” Alphys’ father questioned sarcastically.

    “I think it will.” The sarcasm seemed to go right over her head.

Alphys plopped down into a nearby chair and adjusted herself.

    “I’ve want to present the composition of human SOULs and go over the possibilities on why they are so much stronger than monster SOULs.” She talked aloud to herself, “Why do their SOULs persist after death? How are their SOULs connected with their lack of magic and their physical composition.”

    “Sounds like you’ve got quite a study session ahead of you.”

Alphys grabbed a notebook and pencil from her bag. She pulled a research journal from a nearby stack.

    “Yup.” She stated plainly.

**~~~~~~~~~~**

    Alphys’ father was nearing the end of his novel when Alphys closed the final book with a thud. Sighing, she placed down her pencil and planted her chin on the table. Her father looked at her, believing she had finished, but became concerned at the look of defeat in her eyes.

    “What’s wrong, Alphys?”

Alphys closed her eyes and sighed once more.

    “There’s nothing. Everything in here is all basic knowledge or unconfirmed theories.” She straightend her back and waved her hand at the stack of books she’d read through. “And they all repeat the same stuff over throughout every one of them.”

She collapsed back down and caught her head in her hands.

    “It’s like no one knows anything about humans at all…”

Alphys’ father scootched next to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

    “I’m sorry, sweetie. Maybe there’s more in another section?”

Alphys sighed and glared tiredly up at her dad.

    “I checked every shelf, this was the only one.”

Her father looked down at the notebook she’d written all her gathered information on. There was enough to fill a page and a half.

    “Alphys, it looks like you got quite a lot. What are you missing?”

Alphys looked at her notes with a sad pout.

    “It’s good enough for the presentation but…” She picked it up and flipped the pages to view what she wrote. “It didn’t _my_ questions. It didn’t explain what _I_ wanted to know.”

Gathering her supplies, Alphys continued her rant.

    “I wanted to learn about the connection between a human’s SOUL and their body. Why a human SOUL persists after death. Why they lack the magic monsters have.”

She angrily zipped up her bag and pushed her chair in.

    “I don’t want to be told _what_ humans do. I want to know _why.”_

She stood up and stared off into space. She was irritated, so she let herself calm down a bit.

    “I just wanted to know more.”

Alphys helped her father gather up the books and carry them to the reshelve cart. There were too many for them to bother putting back themselves. Her dad rubbed her back gently to comfort her. He didn’t like seeing his daughter like this.

    “Hey, you did your best, right?”

    “...yes.” Alphys was hesitant in her words.

    “And you’ve got what you need for your project?”

    “Yes.”

    “Well then…” Her father began piling the books back into neat stacks. “Let’s go home, finish your presentation for school, and we can work on all this as a side project.”

Alphys sighed in resignation. She wasn’t going to get her answers today, and they wouldn’t be in this library either. She might as well put it off for now.

    “Yeah, t-that’s probably for the best.”

Her father smiled down at her.

    “That’s my Alphy. Let’s call it a day and go get some Nice Cream.”

That sounded nice. Alphys smiled back at her dad.

    “Thanks daddy.”

**~~~~~~~~~~**

     They left the library with a good-bye to the staff and headed around the corner for the ice cream shop. It wasn’t on the way home, but Alphys’ dad found it a reasonable detour.

    New Home was the only place in the Underground to have a complete ice cream parlor. Everywhere else only had traveling vendors. Now, usually he wouldn’t allow such things before lunch, but he saw today was an exception. He’d usually order a milkshake or other form of drinkable iced goodie, whereas Alphys loved a particular brand of ice cream called Nice Cream. Alphys’ father wasn’t a fan of it, but all the children seemed to go nuts for it.

    Though her father offered they eat at the parlor, Alphys wanted to eat on the way so they’d get home faster. Her father accepted this and they enjoyed their desserts on the road.

    Once they made it home, Alphys brought all of her supplies to the kitchen table and began to put her project together. Her father helped her glue down each passage to the cardboard display and assisted in adding decorative flairs.

    They took a break during lunch, but quickly continued their work.

By late afternoon, the display board was expertly prepared and was ready for Alphys’ class presentation on Monday.

    “Well! It looks wonderful Alphy!” Her father cheerfully announced.

Alphys sighed happily. She was in a much better mood now.

    “It does look good d-doesn’t it?”

    “It really does, sweetie!”

Alphys cleared the table of the board and supplies and held it all in her hands. She began to make her way down the hall.

    “I’m gonna g-go pack this up for school.”

    “Okay!” Her father looked at the clock, “I’m gonna get dinner ready!”

    “Alright!” She shouted down the hall.

Shutting her bedroom door, Alphys packed her bag and placed her display board on her desk. She stood in place for a second, contemplating her time at the library. Releasing a huge sigh, Alphys moved towards her bed and collapsed on it’s sheets.

    Rolling onto her side, she wondered where she could find the answers to her questions. The library in New Home had the largest collection in all of the Underground. Nothing could come close except maybe the King’s private collection.

    Alphys frowned. _Actually, the King probably wouldn’t have anything like that._

    She stayed on her bed, lost in her thoughts. She thought about the questions she had and the answers no one knew. Then, a thought came across her mind.

 

If no one would tell her the answers.

  
Then she would find them herself.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all SO much for you're kind words on the last chapter guys! It made me so happy to see people enjoying this so far! ~~*\\(^_^)/*~~
> 
> Btw, just for clarification, SOUL refers to the physical, heart-shaped thing that you can see and touch, whereas soul refers to one's spiritual being.  
> I can't recall if anyone refers to SOULs/souls like this in the game, but I'm thinking of it like LOVE and love and how they mean different things when capitalized.  
> I didn't follow this rule int he previous chapter, so I went in and edited it. You guys don't need to go back and read it, it's just capitalization.  
> I also added in a line where the teacher mentions a "class assignment" because I realized it wasn't obvious that Alphys received an assignment prior to her telling her father and that bothered me.
> 
> Once again, thank you all! You all fill me with *Determination*!


	3. Higher Education

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alphys' teacher wants to talk and we endure the much awaited (for me at least) timeskip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was slightly rushed because of my busy life. It's not as good as I wish it was, but it's good enough for me to proudly post.

     Alphys’ teacher pulled her aside after school on Monday. At first, Alphys was a little thrown off and concerned that she’d done something wrong. 

     Her presentation earlier in the day, despite not meeting her own high standards,  was received with loud applause from her classmates and eager questions for her to answer as best she could. The praise and attention made her feel better about her 'failure' from weekend, and Alphys finished the school day feeling quite proud of herself. The teacher had even seemed to enjoy the presentation, so why was she being pulled aside?

     “Alphys,” Her teacher asked, “How would you feel about taking higher level classes next year?”

Alphys was caught in surprise. Was she really being offered advanced classes?

     “What do you mean, miss?”

     “Well, Alphys, your presentation today was spectacular to say the least. You put in depth research and planned out the thing very well.”

     Alphys felt a surge of pride in her, as well slight sadness at her unanswered questions. Luckily, the pride overcame it.

     “T-thank you, ma’am.”

The teacher smiled at Alphys as she continued.

     “And Alphys, your work over the past school year has been incredibly above the average for even our highest secondary students.”

     The teacher pulled out a sheet lined with information from her desk. It was an informational brochure on advanced class types.

     “Since you begin junior high school next year, it would the perfect transitioning opportunity for you to get started.”

Alphys took the paper from her teacher and skimmed over it’s words.

     “Y-you r-really think I can do it?”

Alphys’ teacher gave a soft chuckle in response.

     “Oh Alphys, it’s a given! You’re an incredibly bright young lady. You’ll do just fine.”

Now it was Alphys’ turn to laugh. Deep down, she knew she was above average intelligence, but she humbled herself often. When others brought it up, it was easy for her to remember.

     “Hehe, thank you ma’am!”

     “Of course, dear.”

The teacher walked Alphys to the door.

     “I’m sorry for keeping you after, but I just had to tell you. I really think you’d be a perfect fit for the program.”

Alphys smiled as she made her way out to the street.

     “Thank you, I’ll be sure to tell my dad!”

Alphys turned to head towards her home and began to skip happily as she did. She couldn’t help but hum a little. Her teacher suggested her for advanced learning and she felt very proud of herself. She giggled a little as she reached her complex and unlocked her apartment door.

     She couldn’t wait to tell her father.

Speaking of her father, Alphys opened the door to find that he had come home earlier than usual and was already starting to make dinner.

     “Oh! Dad! You’re home early!”

Her dad, gripping a knife in one hand and holding down a cutting board in the other, smiled at her from the kitchen counter.

     “Heya, Alphy!”

He finished slicing before he made his way out into the living room.

     “I decided to take my work home with me today so we could celebrate your project!”

He guided her to the kitchen where was preparing their dinner. Alphys smelled the aroma of the cooking food and smiled brightly.

     The smell of savory chicken was steaming the windows of the oven and flowing out into the vicinity, creating an atmosphere so delicious Alphys almost wanted to eat the air itself.

The cutting board her father was working on had a neat pile of sliced mushrooms on its surface, and a bowl next to it was filled with a shiny red sauce. Jars of dried oregano and pepper were opened nearby. To the back of the counter was a bottle of wine and cooking sherry.

     “Chicken marsala!” She asked excitedly. It was one of her favorite meals, so sensational and savory, yet so easy to make a serve.

     “Yep! Thought I’d make a nice dinner from scratch this time rather than pre-made store bought goods.”

Alphys smiled up at her dad with a soft look.

     “Aw, Dad, you know you didn’t have to that. It’s just a project.”

     “Haha, yes but…”

Suddenly, Alphys was lifted up onto his arms. She laughed and giggled as she was brought up into the air and hugged tight by her father.

     “You worked so hard on it Alphy!”

Her father smothered her and nuzzled his face against her cheek. Alphys’ childish laughter filled the room as she wiggled in her dad’s arms to better hug him. She wrapped her arms around his head a cuddled into his forehead.

     “Daddy, you’re too silly!”

     “Oh, and you aren’t?”

     “No! Ahaha!”

Suddenly, Alphys remembered she still had to show her father the paper her teacher gave her and a devilish smile flashed across her face. Despite all this attention and love, Alphys decided to take it up a notch. 

     “Oh, Daddy, my teacher gave me this!” She handed him the paper she held in her hands. She smirked, knowing exactly what she was doing.

     “Oh,” He paused in his playful gestures, “What is this?”

Still holding Alphys in one arm, her father read the paper in his other hand. When he finished, he gave off a quiet gasp and turned his head to Alphys who was smiling smugly. 

     “Alphys! You’re gonna go into the honors program!”

He squeezed his daughter even tighter, the paper fluttering to the ground as it dropped from his hand.

     “Oh Alphys! I can’t begin to describe my joy for you!”

Alphys revelled in the praise. This was so very nice. Her father’s laughter was soothing and his tight hold on her was comforting.

     “Haha! I guess this meal is twice deserved then!”

Gently, Alphys’ father placed her onto the ground, both of them finishing off their fit of giggles.

     “Hehe, I’m not in the program yet, but we just need to sign up for next year.”

As Alphys’ father made his way back to the kitchen, he beamed at his daughter.

     “Well, I’m coming in tomorrow morning to get you all set for next year!” 

He began to put all of the pieces of the meal together for the final stage to cooking it.

     “Let’s talk about it over dinner!”

Alphys grinned as she went back to put her school bag away in her bedroom.

     When dinner was ready, Alphys and her father came to the dining table to serve up. The meal was tasty as always, and Alphys couldn’t help but compliment her father through a mouthful.

     As they came to a lull in their eating, Alphys’ father brought up the advanced classes enrollment sheet.

     “So, Alphys, what kind of classes do you want to take next year? For your age, they have advanced honors courses, but are there any specific classes you might want?”

Alphys swallowed a bit down and placed her fork down.

     “Well, I’m a-absolutely taking the chemistry and b-biology classes.” She said matter of factly.

     “Oh, are you now?” Her father said with sarcasm, “Guess I’d better check that off.”

They went along the rest of dinner deciding her courses. In the end, her entire schedule for next year would consist of pure honors classes.

     “Haha, might as well just checked off every box, Alphys!”

The sheet’s choices for classes had a neat column of checkboxes to the right of each class choice and nearly all of them had been checked of as the chosen options for Alphys.

Alphys blushed as she rubbed her hand over her elbow.

     “W-well, you know me… heh heh…”

     “Ha, well,” He wrapped Alphys in a gentle hold, “You certainly are the smartest monster I know.”

Alphys closed her and hummed.

     “Mmhm.”

She fell asleep in her father’s arms. She felt like things were going in a good direction and she couldn’t be more excited.

~~~~~ ~~ _timeskip_~~ ~~~~~

     The next years of Alphys’ schooling went by with great achievement for her. Her first year in honors classes and she was already being recommended for even high level courses. The next year, her teachers said she should just skip to the next grade entirely. When she did, also began to take college credit classes.

     Every year added onto Alphy’s already impressive resume in the school district, in all of them. She was reaching new heights of intelligence among her classmates and everyone could see she had the future in her hands.

     She received praise left and right and compliments like never before. With science fairs and competitions came a guaranteed 1st place and her projects and assignments had teachers giving her an 100% before they even graded her work.

     Now, she had reached the end of her final year. She had successfully graduated top of all of her classes and with the highest degree possible in her field.

     She had been accepted into the most grand science university in all of the Underground, the Advanced Sciences University of New Home. She had moved out of her father’s apartment and after a tearful goodbye, she had rented out a shared apartment in the center of New Home.

     Now, Alphys had reached a point in her life where things where things were changing all around her for better or for worse. From this point on, she had complete control of her life and she was going to take it by the wheel.

     She packed her bag full of heavy books and folders not yet filled with paper and slung it across her shoulders. She waved goodbye to her roommates, two friends that she had known since middle school, and headed out of the apartment.

     Taking a metaphorical deep breath, Alphys made her way to the elevator and pressed the button to reach the ground floor. Upon exiting the elevator and then the lobby, Alphys began her trek to the academy.

     She began her trek for what she might have even considered to be, the unknown.

     Walking through the streets of New Home she reached the center, the portion of the city you traveled through before reaching the Royal Castle. Taking a left down a busy four-way, Alphys was face to face with a grand and large building that lay in the center of a wide campus. It was as big as it could be, considering it was built underground. It’s facade was covered with extravagant carvings and imprints and impressive decorations adorned the length of its outer walls.

     Alphys took in a non-metaphorical breath.

 

Seeing such a grand building filled with knowledge...

... filled her with _determination_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being a day late. I have been doing so much stuff recently and this was the literal last thing on my to-do list. The end of October is the end of the school quarter for me and I'm dedicating all my time to that. Also, I've got a Halloween costume to make, as well as my brothers'.  
> Also, November is crazy because of school projects, so I'm hoping to come back in December guys!  
> Until that's all done and over with, I'm putting the fic on hold. 
> 
> Thanks in advance! Love you all!


	4. Morning Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alphys' quick morning tour of her new college campus!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (And an update regarding this fic [don't stress!])

     “Welcome Freshman!” Shouted an enthusiastic mouselike monster, eyes shut tight and smile wide in the most friendly manner imaginable. “I’m Pollux and I’ll be your tourguide for the morning!” 

     Alphys turned to the small group gathered around the mouse and walked over to join them. She already had the college’s layout memorized inside and out, but having a guide wouldn’t hurt either. 

     “Now, I’ll be showing you all around the campus and answering any questions you may have about our university! We don’t have many buildings as you can see, but what we have is filled to the very brim with important locations you’ll want to have memorized!”

     Pollux looked down at a clipboard in their hands.

     “And at the end, I’ll lead you guys to the auditorium where you’ll recieve your individual  class guide and instructions. Also, if any of you will be taking up a dorm, you’ll recieve your room number and key as well.”

     The mouse sighed and raised their head eagerly to the freshman.

     “Well then! Let’s get a move on!”

     Alphys giggled at the mouse’s expressions. They simply radiated a feeling of warmth and cuteness. If they were a child, Alphys would consider taking them up into a big hug. Following Pollux, Alphys glanced around at the campus. The majority of the university was made up of one large 7 story building that housed all the classrooms. Other locations included a decent sized dormatry, a grand auditorium building, and an eatery area. 

     The remaining space was filled with benches, tables, and as much greenery as the the university could cram in. King Asgore made it a point to encomposs the univeristy in plants and flowers of all kind as he found them to be relaxing and even inspiring to an extent. Many students agreed and would say that they were indeed inspired. After all, these plants were a peek at the treasures that hide above they very ground that they aspire to break free of.

     Alphys listened with great interest to her tourguide. She was sucker for information, what could she say?

     As the reached the end of the tour, the group approached the auditorium. The inside was filled with freshman all gathering together to retrieve their information. Pollux swirled around and halted as they looked up at the group.

     “I’m afraid this is where I leave you, friends!” They announced with a chirp in their voice. Pollux pointed to the lines of students across the way. “These lines go in alphabetical order and by last name first! The signs at the front designate which line is for which letters! Once you reach the front you’ll be given everything you need to start your first day!”

     Pollux happily bounced up in excitement.

     “I know you guys will have a great time here!” They turned and began to walk to the side of the auditorium, “I’ll see you guys later!”

     Alphys’ group exchanged their goodbyes and each made their way to their lines.

     Alphys peeked to the front of the lines to find out which line was for her. When she made it to the end of it, she also realized how long the line was. She was actually afraid that she wouldn’t have any spare time to just meet people.

     Accepting her fate, Alphys pulled out her cell phone and began playing some of the games she built into it. This was a very old model, but she had tinkered with it just a little while ago and managed to get some very basic video games to play on it. The phone had games reminiscent of Pong, Tetris, and even Frogger. Alphys had also attempted to hack a pirated copy of a Dating Simulator game that she thought would be fun and try to run it on her phone, but as it turns out, her phone wasn't compatiable with it. The game instead took up too much memory and looked like a jumbled up mess.

     “I have to remind myself to get rid of that thing...” She muttered under her breath as she scrolled past the icon for it.

     Ten minutes later, Alphys looked up from her game to find that she was only three people away from the front. She shut down her game and returned her phone to her pocket. When she reached the front she meet with a kind blue, triangular monster. He gave her a small bag containing her classroom guide and explained to her the university’s room numbering system.

     After she was asked if she had any questions, Alphys responded with a ‘no’ and quickly jogged to the auditorium entrance.

     She came out onto the field and looked down at her watch. It was only a few minutes until her first class started.

     Selecting an empty bench, Alphys sat down and opened the bag containing her room guide. Her first classroom was at the very bottom floor of the main building. It was her Monster Biology class in room 106.

     “Well, at least I don’t need to climb any stairs in the morning.” She told herself.

     Alphys reviewed her schedule until she had each class’ title, teacher, and number memorized. Just in time too, for the bell that signaled the official start of classes rang out across the campus. Alphys returned her guide to her bag and hopped up off the bench. She strolled across the green grass and thought about how she could make a difference in bringing the entire underground to see the real deal up above.

     She pushed her way into the main building and found herself in the middle of a double ended hallway. She approached the left hallway and made her classroom something in the middle of it. Other monsters gathered with her as she opened the door and made her way inside.

     The ‘classroom’ was bigger than any she had ever seen. The front of the room held the teacher’s desk and shelves and a wide open floor. It’s wall displayed a huge projector banner that nearly covered it in it’s entirety. The rest of the room of a series of rows of chairs, each one rising higher than the other. It was like a stadium of knowledge.

_      “How exciting!”  _ She thought, though she couldn’t keep away the dumb, dorky grin that spread across her face.

     She climbed the rows and found herself a chair in a relatively empty viscinity. She wasn’t quite in the mood for making aquantices here in the classroom. She’d rather focus on her work and leave the socialization to free time.

     She pulled out her notebook and supplies and layed them out in front of her. As she opened up her notebook though, a slip of paper got stuck on my of her claws. She removed the little red slip and noticed it had a message on it.

     “For My Little Alphy~! Today is the start a new and wonderful adventure for you! Make the best of your talents my little girl!”

     Alphys gave a heartwarming smile and she read the note.

     “Dad…” She whispered and re-opened her notebook. She paused and noticed a small package taped down tightly to the interior of the cover. The clear wrapping had cute flowery designs on it and foreign characters scrawled across. It contained five biscuit sticks covered it a pink coating.

     “Oh, no way…” She happily mumbled as she tore open the package and pulled the Pocky out one at a time. She smiled so intensely at the sweet flavor.

_      "I love my dad so much…" _

     She finished off the last of the Pocky when her teacher called the class’ attention from the front of the room.

     Quickly getting herself into her focused state, Alphys got to work writing down every little thing her teacher said.

     And thus started her first day in ‘a new and wonderful adventure’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry I've been absent since October!  
> School really hit me up with project after project, and I decided to relax as much as I could during the winter break.
> 
> I've got a short film animation to create, a stage production I've got to create projected effects for, and a whole week full of semester exams next week.
> 
> In other words, I've been pressed for time for a while. I actually wrote this chapter back in November, and while I wanted to add more, I figured I would instead save it for the next chapter and post this as it is so you all know I'm still alive.
> 
> I'll update as I can! I swear! I might not be as exuberant about Undertale as I was when I started this (I actually first wrote this at the start of my decline of interest) but I still love it and am determined to finish this!


End file.
